I always found that one of the best ways to experience a culture is through its cuisine. One of the most exciting things about traveling to a new place is experiencing that cultures pallet. It’s so interesting to me how in different regions of the world, food is spiced in such a different way. Each culture or country has its unique trademark dish; Middle Eastern rice’s, American hot dogs, Italian pizza, or Mediterranean salad are only a few examples.
I never considered cuisine or restaurants as a way to analyze the city’s change. However, when I saw the New York Public Library’s archive of menus, I realized that analyzing these menus could be rather informative. Once I started looking through the menus, I noticed how the menu had evolved from the early 1900s until what it is today.
First, I took note of the locations of the restaurants. Many of the earlier menus were from hotels. The Long Beach Hotel Menu 1900, Waldorf Astoria 1915, or Claremont Hotel, 1900 are a few examples. It seemed to me that dining out was considered a luxurious activity enjoyed by the upper-class society of New York. People did not go out casually just to eat, one had to have money in order to be wined and dined. As I looked at the dates I noticed that beginning in the 1940s-1960s, cafés, diners and parlors became more popular. Wealthy and elite excursions were beginning to become more affordable for the middle class. Slowly, a breakdown between classes was becoming more apparent throughout society.
Aside from locations of the restaurants, I browsed through the different options they offered. At the Waldorf Astoria 1915 hotel restaurant, many European dishes were offered. For example, German apple cake or French Croute-au-pot (I have no idea what that is!). However, in a restaurant like Roth’s Bar and Grill 1946, the options seemed less exotic and fancy. Chopped chicken liver and tuna fish with sliced tomatoes is quite average in comparison to unpronounceable French entrees.
Today in 2017, I walk around the city and it seems like almost every other four doors is a restaurant. What I find fascinating is that there are so many different types of restaurants, offering NYC with an array of choices when it comes to ordering food. There are poki bowl restaurants, sushi bars, steak houses, Thai food and good old American Fried chicken. When I looked at these menus, the only “foreign” dishes I saw were of European origin. There were no sushi or Spanish rice options. This makes sense because most of the immigrants that came to America were of European descent who brought a taste of their home with them to NYC. However, now NYC is like the melting pot of the world. I often hear French, Spanish, Hebrew or Arabic as I walk through the streets of NYC. Each pool of immigrants has brought as taste of their countries with them, making NYC one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world.
I liked how you pointed out the growing American “eating out” culture, where going to a restaurant was no longer reserved for the rich. I also couldn’t agree more with you in how food reflects a culture. It was a pleasure to read!
I really love how you used cuisine to illustrate the changes that New York City has gone through over the century. Looking around the city, there is a place to get something to eat on nearly every block and, often, two places are rarely the same. Each culinary experience was brought from a different corner of the world to the great melting pot that is Manhattan. Over the years, as the urban society changed, so did the food. I also really liked how you delved into the research and found actual menus from days past to really portray your ideas. Great work!